Active clinical trials for "Glioblastoma"

Patients with a high grade glioma have an increasing overall survival and progression free survival after initial treatment. Because of a better performance status these patients are more often eligible for re-treatment with for example radiotherapy. However, to date only a few prospective studies on re-irradiation of gliomas exist and very little is known about the effects of re-irradiation on quality of life and cognition. This trial is designed to longitudinally establish the effects of re-irradiation on quality of life, cognition and physical performance in patients with a high grade glioma. Based on the currently available information the investigators hypothesize that quality of life after re-irradiation can be kept stable until further tumour progression.

Background: Children with brain tumors often have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to see if the tumor has responded to therapy or to see if the tumor has grown. Sometimes, it is difficult to tell if the scan is abnormal because of tumor size or shape, swelling, scar tissue, or dead tissue. Because brain tumor biopsies require surgery, researchers are looking for more noninvasive ways of evaluating brain tumors. Positron emission tomography (PET) scans use a radioactive sugar known as 18F-FDG to try to determine if a tumor is active or not. Active tumors generally take up more sugar than the surrounding tissue, but because normal brain tissue uses the same sugar as brain tumors, it is then difficult to tell if tumor tissue is taking up sugar or not. A different radioactive agent, 18F-FLT, is now being studied in some adults with different kinds of tumors. Researchers are interested in determining whether it is possible to use this agent as a marker of tumor activity in children. Objectives: To determine the safety and effectiveness of 18F-FLT for pediatric glioma scans. To compare the results of 18F-FLT studies with studies using the radioactive agents 18F-FDG and 1H-MRSI. Eligibility: - Children less than 18 years of age who are having radiation therapy to treat malignant gliomas. Design: Participants will have scanning tests before radiation therapy, 1 to 3 weeks after radiation therapy, and if researchers suspect that the tumor is growing. This study will involve three separate imaging tests (1H-MRSI, 18F-FDG PET, and 18F-FLT PET). Proton spectroscopy (1H-MRSI) is a procedure that is similar to MRI and is performed in the same scanner as an MRI. Because this scan is long (2-3 hours), most children will receive medications from an anesthesiologist so that they can sleep through the procedure. Within 2 weeks of the 1H-MRSI scan, participants will have the PET scans with both the standard contrast agent (18F-FDG) and the experimental agent (18F-FLT). These scans will last approximately 1 hour each.

This study plans to learn more about if fluorescein with intraoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is as good as intraoperative MRI (iMRI) alone in detecting the presence of tumor tissue during surgery. Both fluorescein and intraoperative MRI have been studied and routinely used to aid the neurosurgeon in distinguishing normal brain from tumor, helping the neurosurgeon to safely resect more tumor tissue during surgery. This study will enroll patients with malignant high grade glioma who are going to have a surgery to remove their brain tumor. For half of the patients, fluorescein and intraoperative MRI will be used together during surgery. For half of the patients, only intraoperative MRI will be used during surgery. iMRI is used as final verification of complete, safe resection in both arms.

The primary objective of this trial is to evaluate overall survival of patients with O[6]-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) methylated glioblastoma treated with or without six months of adjuvant TMZ after standard radiation (6000 centigray (cGy)) plus concurrent Temozolomide (TMZ). Secondary Objectives include to prospectively assess the overall adverse event profile in the two treatment arms. To compare lymphocyte counts overtime between the two treatment arms and to prospectively compare quality of life in the two treatment arms as assessed by MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Brain Tumor Module (MDASI-BT) and Neurological quality of Life/minimal infecting dose (NeuroQoL) (MID). The study will also compare progression-free survival between the two treatment arms.

This pilot study aims to evaluate the feasibility of close glucose monitoring and management of patients (targeting fasting and pre-meal glucose of 4-7 mmol/L) using state-of-the-art flash glucose monitoring (FGM) technology. The glycemic intervention will be personalized based on individual blood glucose levels. Although the glycemic interventions used in this study include standard medications and methods of glucose monitoring used for patients with diabetes, this pilot study will specifically evaluate the feasibility of using these approaches in patients with GBM, appreciating their additional medical, functional and social challenges.

This expanded access request will evaluate APG-157, a botanical drug under development for other cancers, as potential treatment for recurrent Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients.

The aim is to classify high grade glioma by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI). In order to provide more specific informations for the diagnosis and the prognosis of high grade glioma.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the applicability of urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) Positron Emission Tomography (PET) / MRI molecular imaging of glioblastoma.

One-third of all primary brain tumors are astrocytomas, the most common type of glioma. Grade 4 astrocytomas, more commonly known as glioblastomas (GBMs), represent about 50% of all gliomas (annual incidence of over 3 per 100,000) and are associated with high mortality rates and median patient survival of just 12-15 months post-diagnosis. Treatment response is assessed by measuring post-treatment tumor size on contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance images (MRI). However, radiation and chemotherapy cause inflammatory and necrotic changes which, like actual tumor progression itself, demonstrate contrast enhancement on the first post-treatment MRI scan. This enhancement eventually subsides (typically within 6 months of treatment) and is known as pseudoprogression (PsP). Currently, there is no gold standard noninvasive tool for distinguishing between pseudoprogression and progressive disease. Dynamic susceptibility-weighted contrast-enhanced perfusion MRI (DSC perfusion MRI) permits measurement of hemodynamic imaging variables. Previous literature reports attempted to use some or all of these metrics to assess their utility in distinguishing PsP from true cancer progression. These studies showed mixed results, likely due to a number of factors, including poor statistical power, poorly defined PsP, analysis of multiple cancer grades and types, and varied analysis methodologies. The investigators aim to address these issues in this study.

Despite advances in neurosurgery , radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the median survival in GBM patients is only 15 months from diagnosis. Immunotherapy by checkpoint inhibitors (PD1 /PDL-1) appears as a promising treatment for many cancers. However, first clinical results are disappointing for GBM. An hypothesis is the immunosuppressive activity from infiltrating non-tumor cells. Conversion of non-tumor cells from an immunosuppressive to an immuno-activating phenotype could be attempted in a therapeutic perspective.